Would southeast need to be capitalized in a sentence?

"Southeast" should be capitalized when it refers to a specific geographic region, similar to how you would capitalize "Northeast" or "Midwest."

For example:

* Correct: "The Southeast is known for its warm climate."

* Incorrect: "We traveled to the southeast last summer."

However, if you're using "southeast" as a direction, it is not capitalized:

* Correct: "We drove southeast for two hours."

In short, capitalize "Southeast" when it's a proper noun, but not when it's a direction.